Rosemary for Remembrance
by megbo
Summary: Abiona (oc), a 26 yr old female pilot in the the Imperial Navy crosses paths with Admiral Piett, and a relationship forms. Rising through the ranks, she finds command is more than she expected, and death shatters her world. Please R&R!
1. Just a Lieutenant

Standard Disclaimer Stuff: George Lucas owns all of this and everybody except Abiona, who is mine. Please ask for permission to use her. Please don't sue me. I'm poor and I need every cent to pay for my upcoming 6 years of college.

A/N: Right now, there are only my original characters, but I plan on at least having Piett show up later. I'm also looking for beta readers! At the beginning of this project, I expect updates to be quite erratic what with scholarships and school. E-mail me if you're interested.

Chapter 1: Just a Lieutenant

The insistent beeping of the alarm clock pulled Abiona out of a wonderful dream. She slammed her hand down on the clock and dragged herself off to the 'fresher. The shower managed to wake her up, but it did little for her mood. Abiona looked herself over in the mirror before going on duty. Her eyes hesitated on her rank badge.

"Twenty-six and I'm still just a lieutenant. Maybe I should've listened to my parents. They did tell me I wouldn't get anywhere in the Navy," she thought.

She sighed and headed down to the officers' mess to grab a quick breakfast before her patrol. A glance at her chrono confirmed that she had overslept and would be late if she finished breakfast. Abiona hurried down to the hangar and got into her gear. The patrols were mind numbingly boring. She climbed into the cockpit of her Interceptor and waited to be launched. The patrol was going routinely, but suddenly three blips showed up on her sensors.

"Lead, Five. I've got three points about 11 klicks out"

"Copy Five. Two Flight and Three Flight, go and investigate."

Abiona and her wingman flew toward the three X-Wings. She saw Two Flight coming up on her left side.

"Rebel fighters, you have entered Imperial space. Surrender at once or be destroyed."

Dead silence was the reply over the comm. She gave the order to attack the fighters. Strangely enough, the Rebels did not put up a tough fight. Somehow Abiona could not imagine that the Rebellion would send such rookies into the field, but they were short on personnel.

"Five here. Did anyone else find that strange?"

"Six. They didn't put up much of a fight. It seems suspicious, if you ask me."

She heard a muttered curse just as her commander's voice broke in over the comm. "Lead here. We've got an alphabet soup of fighters coming in mark 3.68. Looks like there're three or four cap ships, too. Break off into flights and engage the bombers. Watch your six, we've got 3 minutes until reinforcements can launch."

Abiona and her wingman broke off and targeted two of the Y-Wings. She wished that she had a half-load of missiles. The Y-Wings were easy enough to destroy, but the A-Wings and X-Wings were within targeting range of the fighters now. 

"Lead, Five. We've knocked out the wishbones but the sharps are getting hard to shake. I've got one on my six and I can't shake him!"

"Just try to hang on for a few more seconds, Five."

She jinked around in the X-Wing's sights until she saw it explode in her HUD. She let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Lead." The Rebel fighters seemed endless, even with the help of a few gunboats. "Well, I can paint a quite a few more kills on my fighter," she thought. She vaped an A-Wing on her wingman's tail, when she saw the two X-Wings on her commander's six. She broke off and targeted one of the X-Wings. It was an easy kill.

"One sharp down, one to go."

She shot at the X-Wing to get the pilots attention and draw him away from her CO. Unfortunately, she had underestimated the pilot. Abiona jinked and weaved to no avail. The missile lock alarm was blaring in her cockpit and she wished she could do something about it. The alarm became a long tone and her HUD targeted the missile launched at her. She gritted her teeth and turned to face the missile. Abiona forced herself to focus and fired her lasers at the missile. It exploded in a brilliant red-orange cloud. She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

"Nice shooting, Five."

"Thank you, sir."

Suddenly, a missile slammed into her wingman's fighter. She watched in horror, as it became a ball of ionized gas. For a split second she was stunned. Then she yelled a battle cry and threw herself into the thick of the dogfights.

*****

Abiona pulled herself out of the Interceptor's cockpit. She took off her helmet and ran a hand back through her hair. She walked dejectedly to the locker room. She showered and changed into her uniform. She leaned against the lockers and thought out-loud. 

"Why am I so torn up about this. Cian and I were never close friends. We were just wingmen."

She left the locker room and her commander came up to her.

"Lieutenant Reed."

"Sir?"

"I don't hold you responsible for what happened out there. There were too many fighters to keep track of."

"That's reassuring, sir."

"I wish I didn't have to tell you this." He glanced at the deck, then looked directly into her eyes. "Because of this incident and your past record, the admiral wants to see you. Personally."


	2. Climbing the Ladder

Disclaimer: Right, I don't own anything except Abiona and Wade. Ask if you want to use them. George, please don't sue. I need money for my graduation trip to Europe.

Thanks to: Star Wars Technical Commentaries for the rank system (it's enough to make your head hurt), Ryan for finding the ship names, XvT game for the simulator mission

A/N: This chapter went off on about three tangents before I settled on this one. I'm having to invent how Piett acts because he's a secondary character in the movies. Hopefully I can continue to update regularly. Once I get to Spring Break, my life should settle down a bit and I should be able to update more.

Chapter 2: Climbing the Ladder

Abiona boarded the shuttle with great reluctance. She felt the slight jolt as the shuttle took off for the _Executor_. "Well, at least I don't have to face Lord Vader," she mused. However, facing the admiral would not be any easier. Abiona had never met Admiral Piett, and she was not sure on his attitude toward women in the Navy. If he were anything like her previous commanders, she would be busted down to target drone before she could blink.

As the shuttle set down in the _Executor's _landing bay, Abiona took a deep breath and straightened her cap and tunic. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "Calm down," she told herself. "If you act confident and controlled, you have a better chance of _not_ getting demoted." She exited the shuttle and an ensign met her.

"Admiral Piett will see you directly," the ensign said.

"Thank you, Ensign," she said as she followed him to the Admiral Piett's office.

The ensign led Abiona through a labyrinth of corridors and turbolifts. She made a valiant attempt to keep her bearings, but she gave up on the second turbolift ride. 

"Go right in, and good luck," the ensign said and left her standing outside the door.

She took a deep breath and went into Admiral Piett's office. She snapped to attention and saluted sharply. "Reporting as ordered, sir!"

Setting down a datapad, he returned her salute. "Have a seat, Lieutenant Reed." She sat down but could not get her nerves to calm. Piett skimmed over a few lines on the datapad and then looked Abiona over, as though her features alone could tell something of her soul. Abiona found his look disconcerting but did her best to show no emotion on her face.

"I've been reading your service record, Lieutenant," Piett said. "Your rank seems to change depending on the week?"

Abiona looked a bit chagrined. "Well, sir, some of my squadronmates _do_ call me 'yo-yo'. In my own defense, I think I'm a good pilot. With my previous commanders' feelings on women in the Navy...well...let me put it this way. I never had a chance with some of them, sir."

"That is unfortunate. Your mission record is exemplary," Piett said.

"Until today," Abiona thought.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Permission granted."

"Thank you, sir. Frankly, sir, I work my ass off for my squadron." She began to pace around the office. "I fly my best every time I get in the cockpit of my fighter. If you ignore the temporary demotions, I've been a lieutenant for _six years_." She punctuated this by tapping her rank badge. "It makes me wonder why I ever went to the Academy. I've given eight years of my life to the Navy, and it hasn't given anything back to me. All because I'm a woman. Sir." She sat down.

Piett's eyes showed a flash of sympathy, then amusement. "I'm glad that you keep yourself under control while you're on duty." She smiled slightly and then met his gaze. "Now, as to your rank. I think you're command material. I'm promoting you to Lieutenant Commander, and I will be transferring you to the _Executor_ to serve in Avenger Squadron."

"Sir, I really think you should reconsid-" Abiona stopped her plea suddenly. "You're promoting me?"

"Yes. You've a week of leave to get settled here and tie up any loose ends. If you wish, you may notify your family of your transfer."

"You're assuming that my family cares, sir."

Piett decided to ask about that comment another day. "Report to me once you're settled. Dismissed."

Abiona saluted and left Piett's office.

*****

After getting lost at least three times, Abiona made it back to the landing bay where the shuttle had landed. She fetched her pilot from the break room and boarded the shuttle. She leaned back in her seat and sighed happily. 

"Promoted," she thought. "And transferred to the _Executor_. Everyone knows that the _Executor_ is one's ticket to success."

Abiona felt the slight jolt of the shuttle's landing and exited. She headed to her commander's office to tell him the news. She walked in the door to his office and saluted.

"Sir, I've just been promoted, and I'm being transferred," said Abiona.

"I know. I just got off the HoloNet. Congratulations, Lieutenant Commander. You'll be hard to replace," her commander said.

"Well, sir, my transfer will leave the squadron with an even number. At least everyone will have a wingman."

"True. Well, good luck and good flying." He shook her hand.

"Thank you, sir. And good luck to you, too."

*****

Abiona walked slowly back to her quarters, trying to memorize the _Thunderflare_ "Not that the Executor will be much different. Except I'll probably get lost all the time," she though with a chuckle. 

She punched in the lock code and the door to her quarters slid open. She looked around her quarters. Only then did she realize how few possessions she had. Aside from standard issue items, she had almost nothing. There was a picture of her friend Iain and herself right after graduation. A twinge of sadness passed through her when she studied the picture. Iain had been killed on his first assignment out of the Academy. "Once the war is over, then I'll have time to mourn all those I've lost," she thought. She packed up all of her clothes and the picture. The only thing left was her good long sword and her practice sword. Iain's parents had given them to her as a graduation present. "They really were wonderful people," she thought. "I wish I had told them." She packed the swords and hefted her bag up on her shoulder.

A shuttle had been arranged for her and it was waiting in the landing bay. She said a silent goodbye to her fighter and the _Thunderflare_ as the shuttle took off. Abiona felt a strange finality in her situation as the shuttle landed in the _Executor_'s landing bay. She managed to find someone who could point her to her quarters and headed off.

"I only got lost once," she though to herself as she coded her lock and went into her quarters. After a good look at her quarters, she decided they were a bit bigger than her quarters on the _Thunderflare_ but not by much. She lay down on the bed and scanned down a few lines on the datapad in her hand. Her orders stated that she should report in to her squadron commander as soon as possible. Abiona knew she had a week to get settled, but reporting in should not wait. 

She headed down to her commanding officer's office to report in. Commander Jkara greeted her warmly, and explained her duties within the squadron. Abiona was replacing a pilot that had been promoted. He told her to head down to the simulator on the double to train with her new wingman.

When she arrived at the simulator, her wingman was already there.

"Lieutenant Wade Marek," he said, shaking her hand.

"Lieutenant Commander Abiona Reed. You're from Corellia, aren't you?" she said.

"Yeah, has my reputation gotten out or something?" he asked with a grin.

Abiona allowed herself a smile. "I've heard that you're a real troublemaker." She became serious. "But I don't know your reputation as a pilot."

"The best."

"Let's see."

They both got into the sim Interceptors and put their helmets on. The mission was simple enough. Protect the new TIE Advanced shipment until it could reach the Star Destroyer. Two-thirds of the fighters had to reach the ship.

"Right, this seems simple enough. Let's hit the ships with missiles first, then take out the rest," Abiona said.

"Let's do it."

Wade lured two X-Wings out and Abiona hit each of them with a missile. Wade finished them off with lasers. The mission was going routinely, until Rebel reinforcements showed up.

Abiona cursed. "I've got two—no three sharps on me. And we've got wishbones targeting the TIE Advanced." 

"Enough of the TIEs have made it to the Destroyer."

She jinked her craft and dove sharply. "Then they'll target the Destroyer. And two of us can't save it."

They fought off the fighters on their tails and could only watch helplessly as the Destroyer was pounded with missiles and torpedoes. Abiona saw the ship explode as the lights in the sim came up. Abiona took off her helmet and climbed out of the sim.

"We were _so_ close," Wade said.

"If we'd have had reinforcements, we could have done it," Abiona said.

"You two did better than most," Commander Jkara said.

Abiona and Wade snapped to attention. "Sir!"

"As you were. I'm happy to see that you work well together."

"Thank you, sir."

"Be in the briefing room at 0800 tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."

*****

Abiona went back to her quarters. She unpacked her gear and changed into exercise clothing. She grabbed her swords and checked the map on her datapad once more before heading to the physical training area.

She managed to get there with little trouble. She did some basic stretching and a little weight training, then headed into a training ring. She unsheathed her good sword and began the kata she had learned so many years ago. She became lost in the fluid dance of her training, until a voice interrupted her.

"An interesting hobby," said Piett as she spun gracefully to face him. "I learned how to fence when I was younger, but I never knew anyone who was familiar with other types of swordplay."

"A friend of mine at the Academy taught me a few years ago."

"May I?" he asked, motioning to her second sword.

"Of course," she said and handed him the sword.

He tested the balance and feel of the sword, then turned to face her. Abiona found this a bit disconcerting. Why would her commanding officer, _the_ commanding officer, want to spar with her? She parried a slash and tried to base her attacks on the pattern that Piett followed. With the amount of dodging she had to do, it did not appear that he fought with a pattern.

"Abiona?" he asked.

"What," she said through gritted teeth as she tried to land a kick.

He dodged the kick. "What happened between you and your parents?"

"I don't want to talk about it." She made this clear with a vicious slash.

Piett blocked the slash and kicked one of her legs out from under her. She landed flat on her back and the sword clattered away from her hand. She felt the blade at her throat.

"Well met." She felt the blade move away and accepted his hand up. She made a move to get her sword, but he pulled her back.

"Tell me."

Abiona closed her eyes for a moment and sighed.

"You really want to know? All right." She looked him in the eye. "My father went down with his ship when I was about 13. My mother always wanted me to marry well. When I went to the academy, she disowned me. I don't _have_ a family anymore." She yanked her arm away and grabbed her sword. She stormed off to her quarters to take shower and get some sleep.

Abiona put her pajamas on and ran a hand back through her damp hair. She thought she heard a tapping at her door. Frowning, she went to investigate. When she opened her door, she found her practice sword propped in the doorjamb with a note on it.

"Abiona," the note read. "I'm sorry about what happened earlier. I should've known better than to ask, especially with the recent death of your wingman. If you want to talk, come see me. Andries."

"So that's his first name," Abiona thought. She changed into civilian clothes and went to see Andries with a smile on her face.

A/N: So, did you like it? Hate it? Tell me! Review! I'm still looking for beta readers! Talk to me if you're interested.


	3. Job Descriptions Are Misleading

Standard Disclaimer: Yeah, you know the drill. I only own Abiona, Wade, and Jkara. George owns everything else.

A/N: Sorry this took so long. First there was the musical, then a C++ project. My life is back now!

Chapter 3: Job Descriptions Are Misleading

Abiona reached Piett's door and walked past it. She kept walking until she reached a viewport. As she gazed out at the stars, a voice in her mind said, "Wuss."

"I'm not a wuss," she thought.

"Oh, don't try to deny it," the voice said.

"Now look. My job requires that I go blasting through space with only a bit of durasteel between me and death."

"So you can face death on a regular basis, but you can't face your own feelings about someone."

Abiona sighed and leaned against the viewport. She couldn't dispute the fact that she refused to accept her emotions. It was only a year or two ago that she had first met Piett. Admittedly, it was only during an inspection of new officers. That had been enough, though.

She shook herself out of her reverie. Turning to go to her quarters, she ran into Piett.

"Hey, watch it—oh, I-I'm sorry, sir," Abiona said.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. As a matter of fact, I was going to look for you. Are you free tomo—" A klaxon interrupted him.

"The war never waits," she said. "Finish that thought as soon as I get back." She ran off to the fighter bay.

*****

Once strapped into her fighter, Abiona felt the adrenaline rush of battle. There had not been time for a briefing. They had been instructed to destroy all enemy fighters.

The fighters launched and flew directly into the chaos of enemy fighters and turbolaser fire.

"Six, on me. Let's vape some Rebels," Abiona said over the comm.

"Got it, Five," said Wade.

They broke off and headed for a pair of Y-Wings that were targeting the _Thunderflare_. Abiona linked her laser cannons and aligned the Y-Wing in her sight. Within moments, the Y-Wing was nothing but space dust.

"He's history."

Wade dispatched the other Y-Wing without effort. Their dogfights had taken them away from the main arena, and they flew back to the heavy fighting. An X-Wing came within an arm's length of Wade's fighter. The squadron markings were clear.

"Five, did you get a good look at that sharp?"

"No, Six. Why?"

"Well, unless I'm wrong, and I hope I am, it had Rogue Squadron markings on it."

"I hope you're wrong, too, Six. Otherwise, our odds just got a lot worse. Avenger Lead, did you copy that last transmission?" Abiona targeted the X-Wing that had just flown past.

"I did, Five. I notified command. That's all we can do other that shoot them down."

"Yes, sir."

*****

The atmosphere on the bridge was as tense as the battle outside. The sensor officer tried to look calm as Piett approached him.

"Lieutenant, report."

"The Rebel capital ships aren't holding up to the torpedoes and ship to ship fire. Some of the fighters are proving, um, more challenging, sir."

Piett nodded. "Avenger Squadron will take care of them." He walked to the viewport. Although this Rebel force had been small, the presence of Rogue Squadron assured him of one thing. The Rebels had planned this attack, but they had underestimated the Imperial forces. The Empire needed to launch an all out offensive, but far be it from the Emperor to listen to a military opinion. He finally focused on the battle raging outside. "Intensify the starboard batteries. I want that cruiser destroyed."

*****

"Damn it, Wade! If you don't get this sharp off of me, you're not gonna have a wingman!" Abiona pulled up sharply. The missile lock alarm beeped incessantly. Her hull integrity was down to 68 percent. Another shot from the X-Wing shook her fighter. "Wade, my hull's 31 percent! I've gotta turn back."

A missile hit the X-Wing. It was heavily damaged and made a run for hyperspace. "Now that he's not on your tail, we can both go back. My hull is at 78 percent, and it looks like things are calming down," Wade said over the comm.

The two Interceptors flew back to the Executor at full throttle. Once in the landing bay, Abiona and Wade dragged themselves out of their fighters. They both looked ragged. Walking to the debriefing room, Abiona chuckled.

"Ya know, Wade, I think I'm gonna change professions. Find some nice, quiet job."

"You wouldn't know what to do with yourself."

"True," she said walking in the door. "But I'd live longer."

They sat at the table and answered the standard debriefing questions. Curiously enough, no one asked about Rogue Squadron. Abiona decided not to worry about it and left when she was dismissed.

"Hey, wait up! I'll buy you a drink," Wade yelled down the hall after her.

"Nah, I just wanna go back to my quarters, maybe read a book," Abiona said.

"Suit yourself."

As soon as Abiona arrived in her quarters, she took off her clothes and got in the shower. She let the hot water run down her back as she washed her hair. She rinsed the shampoo and soap off and got out of the shower. She dried herself off and put on her uniform. Looking at the chrono, she sighed. The battle and debriefing had taken longer than she expected. At 3 o'clock in the morning, there were two choices. She could go to bed just to get up in three hours or read until she had to go on duty. The adrenaline was still in her system, so she grabbed a technical book and settled in to read. Maybe that would solve both problems.

At the insistent beeping of the doorbell, Abiona opened her eyes squinted at her chrono. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. It was a half past five. She dragged herself to the door and opened it. As she prepared a typical caustic morning comment, she realized who was at the door.

"Good morning," said Abiona a bit flustered. "Come in."

"Good to see you're awake," Piett said.

"As awake as I ever am at this time in the morning," said Abiona sitting on the edge of the bed. "I've got a briefing at 0800 anyway, unless Commander Jkara suddenly became merciful."

"It has been cancelled. The Rebels that ambushed us were going to be the mission's target."

"Well, that doesn't hurt my feelings," said Abiona as she got up and put the book back. "I'm not too eager to get smoked by Rogue Squadron again. Having my hull hit 31 percent wasn't comforting." She leaned back against the wall. "But you didn't come here to talk about my piloting skills."

"I was going to ask if you wanted to get coffee, but—"

"It's against protocol? Or is it that the coffee at this hour might be lethal? Or are you afraid I'd say no?" She paused, waiting for an answer. "Or yes..." she whispered. 

"I'd hate to responsible for a death this early in the morning," he said with a bit of a smirk. "Actually, I didn't think you'd accept."

"Why wouldn't I? And anyway, I've been drinking coffee on Imperial Navy ships for eight years. I'm immune to it."

"After you, then."

They walked to the mess hall sharing typical small talk. The scattered few officers in the mess hardly noticed their presence. As they sat down, Piett locked eyes with Abiona.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, a bit tired maybe. Why do you ask?"

"Well, just the look in your eyes..."

She stared down at her coffee. "You've never looked in a pilot's eyes before. A lot of people think something's wrong." She looked back up. "My eyes have seen more in 26 years, than some people will see in a lifetime." She realized he hadn't stopped watching her. "But I'm just being depressing. Any suggestions on a new, less life threatening job?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'd suggest a command position, but around here that isn't any less life threatening."

"True." She fussed with a ring that she probably wasn't supposed to be wearing. "Ah, I think I'll stick around. All I've got left to do is break through the gender line. That shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks, tops," she said with a grin. Her grin faded and she dropped her ring when she saw the clock. "Oh no! Commander Jkara told me about the briefing at 0600 and I completely forgot! He's gonna kill me!" She hurried off.

Piett shook his head and put her ring in his pocket.

*****

Abiona tried to slip into the briefing without anyone noticing. Wade arched an eyebrow at her as she sat down.

"Good of you to join us, _Lieutenant_ Commander," Commander Jkara once she sat down.

"I'm sorry, sir. I had a meeting with the Admiral that ran late," Abiona said.

"Of course," he said skeptically. "As I was saying, Avenger Squadron has been chosen to fly the new TIE Advanced, or Avenger as most pilots call it." He pressed a button and a holographic display of the fighter appeared. "It has a more powerful drive system, however much of the extra power is used for the shield generator. It also has a hyperdrive capable of storing ten jump coordinates. You'll all be flying a few sims to get used to the systems and handling, then tomorrow we'll commence field testing. Sims start in three hours. Dimissed." The pilots filed out of the briefing room. "Reed, I'd like to speak with you."

Abiona turned to her commander. "Sir?"

He waited until the other pilots left. "Lieutenant Commander, why were you late?"

"I told you, sir. I had a meeting with the Admiral. It ran over. I got here as soon as I could, sir." 

"I'll take your word for it this time, but one more slipup and I will bust your rank down faster than you can blink. I'm putting you on report this time, so be careful. I don't know how you got into my squadron, but I will not hesitate to get you _out_ of my squadron. The last thing I need is a woman to get in the way of things."

"Yes, sir," said Abiona, keeping her face blank.

"Dismissed!"

Abiona saluted and hurried out of the briefing room. Wade had waited for her and walked with her down the hall.

"That was one hell of a dressing down," Wade said.

"What an astounding observation, Wade."

"Look, don't take it so hard."

"Wade, he only sees me as a woman, not as a fighter pilot! I swear, I think I'll just quit and..."

"And do what?"

"Become a gardener! I don't know! All I know is I'm not getting anywhere as long as Jkara outranks me." 

"Abiona, you've made it this far. This is the _Executor_. Don't give up yet."

She shrugged. "Yeah, you're right. Look, I think I'm gonna sleep a bit before the sim. I'll see you in three hours." Abiona walked off in the direction of her quarters.

Wade shook his head. "She's either going to get killed or have a nervous breakdown one of these days," he thought.

*****

After five hours of sleep in 24 hours and six hours of sims, Abiona felt dead. She looked over at Wade. 

"What time is it?"

"1500 hours."

She stared up at the ceiling. "I don't think I've even been this tired. You?"

"Maybe when I pulled that all-nighter at the Academy. I don't know though."

Abiona stretched out on a bench in the break room. "I'm sleeping here until my brain functions fully again. If you really need me, wake me up." She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep. 

She felt someone shaking her. "No, no more sims," she mumbled and rolled over.

"Abiona, you've got to get up."

She opened her eyes reluctantly. Wade was standing over her. "What's going on?" she asked, standing up.

"The Admiral wants to speak with both of us in ten minutes."

"Let's go then."

She straightened her uniform on the way to the Admiral's office. She and Wade snapped to attention just inside the door. Out of the corner of her eye, Abiona saw her commander.

"Reporting as ordered, sir!"

"Have a seat," Piett said.

Abiona sat down next to Wade, feeling rather confused. She tried to read Piett's face, but he kept his face blank.

"I'll get to the point immediately," Piett said. "Reed and your wingman Marek are being sent on an undercover mission. We have evidence that the Rebels are designing a new snubfighter. You will be dropped outside of the R and D base. Infiltrate the base and destroy the plans and any prototypes. Any questions?"

"Yes, sir. With all due respect, why are you choosing us?" Abiona asked.

"You're both competent." He looked at Abiona. "You'll blend in well because you're a woman." He looked at Wade. "You've got a Corellian accent. You'll both be able to get in and out seamlessly, and," he lowered his voice, "I trust you two more than Imperial Intelligence."

"Admiral, I cannot agree with your assessment. Surely there are SpecOps that can do the job," said Commander Jkara.

"I don't remember asking for your approval, _Commander_," Piett said.

"When do we leave?" asked Wade, trying to break the tension.

"Immediately. Report to the armory, and good luck."

Abiona and Wade saluted and left the room. They walked to the armory in silence. They arrived at the armory and Abiona started picking up what she thought was necessary.

"Make sure you get some of the demolition charges, Wade."

"Abiona? Are you as frightened about this mission as I am?" Wade asked as he picked up more weaponry.

Abiona hid a vibroblade in each boot. "Petrified." She put a blaster in a shoulder holster and put her jacket on. "Let's get down to the landing bay. The shuttle's probably waiting," she said, grabbing her pack.

They went to the landing bay and boarded the shuttle. On the ride, they determined a plan of attack.

"Look, if they've built any prototypes, just stick the demolition charges on them and run," Abiona said.

"We could just destroy the entire place with the charges," Wade said.

Abiona pointed at the plan of the base. "A two man team couldn't destroy that entire base. It's huge!" She indicated an entrance on the plans. "From the recon reports, this entrance should be the easiest to get into. I've got a lock breaker in my pack, but it's pretty loud. We should only use it if the codes we were given don't work. The lab we're looking for should be here." Abiona indicated another section on the plans.

"You're making this sound easy."

"Well, if everything goes as planned, it will be, but if something would happen to me, Wade, just leave me and get yourself out."  
"The same goes for me," said Wade as the shuttle set down.

They jumped out and the shuttle sped off. They moved liked shadows up to the research and design complex. The outer defenses seemed too simple to break through. Abiona punched in the access code and the door slid open. She shrugged and went inside.

"Let me have a couple demolition charges, and we'll split up," Abiona whispered.

"I really think we should stick together," Wade whispered back.

"Look, this place is too big. One person is a lot less conspicuous than two."

Wade handed her two demolition charges. "All right, but be careful. It was easy to get in, but it probably won't be easy to get out."

Abiona nodded, and the two parted ways. She consulted her map frequently and moved stealthily towards the main development area. When she arrived, the prototype fighter was waiting. It was quite possibly the most beautiful machine she had seen in her lifetime. She made sure the area was deserted and went to the nearest computer terminal. As she was searching for the plans, a thought came to her.

"It would be a shame to destroy that fighter. If that prototype is space-worthy I could always fly it out of here," she thought. She began to search the journal entries to see if it was a flying prototype. She became absorbed in her reading, and she did not hear the footsteps approach her. She did, however, feel the blaster muzzle pressed against her ribs and her arm twisted behind her back.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" asked a male voice, presumably the owner of the blaster. He spun her around and arched an eyebrow. "A woman. Well, you couldn't be working for the Empire."

"Guess again," said Abiona, struggling against his grip. He looked vaguely familiar. Perhaps she had seen his picture on a wanted poster. She tried to push him out of the way, but he pinned her against the wall and put binders on her.

"Well, since I found you, I get to keep you. C'mon," he said as he dragged her to a shuttle. "I'll leave interrogation to the professionals." They boarded the shuttle. "Much as I would enjoy your company on this trip, I can't have you knowing our location." He set the blaster to stun and fired. "Sorry."

*****

Abiona squinted against the bright light. She groaned and rubbed her forehead. She had the worst headache in recent memory. As the cell door opened, she caught the end of a conversation.

"...nice work, Antilles. I'll take over from here."

When she saw the owner of the voice enter the cell, she sneered.

"Crix Madine. A shame that our roles aren't reversed," she said coldly.

"Lieutenant Commander Reed, you are of minimal importance to me," he said. "Just answer my questions and this will be quick and painless."

"I'm listening."

"First, how did you get in the building?"

"I used the door," she said cheekily. She did a mental check of the weapons she had hidden. They had not found one of the vibroblades in her boot, but that was about it. She tried to move it up towards the top of her boot while Madine drilled her with questions. Eventually, he gave up.

"Fine, be stubborn. You'll be the one who pays for it."

Abiona smiled at him as he left. "Well, they were stupid enough to take the binders off of me," she thought. She took her vibroblade and hid it in her sleeve. "All I have to do is jump the next guard that comes in here."

She lay in wait for her prey. The guard that came in with food made a fatal mistake. He turned his back on Abiona. In a flash, she pinned him against the wall with the blade to his throat. She slit his throat and took his blaster and keycard. She slipped the knife back in her boot.

"That'll teach you to search everywhere for weapons."

Abiona checked the blaster charge and saw it was full. She opened the cell door and checked to make sure she was safe. She slipped quietly into the hall and tried to figure out her location. The first thing she noticed was that the area she was in looked nothing like a detention area. She turned right and went down the hall, glancing around constantly. She found a computer terminal and gained access to a map. It looked as though the landing bay was a straight shot down the hall to her left. She tried to act inconspicuous as she walked down the hallway, but she did stick out of the usual Rebel crowd. Just as the landing bay came into sight, someone noticed her.

"Hey! You there! Halt!"

Abiona spun around and fired off two shots. She turned and sprinted off to the bay. She was within feet of a shuttlecraft when she heard a blaster fire. The searing pain in her right shoulder was indescribable as Abiona fell to the deck. Her adrenaline kicked in and she dragged herself into the shuttle and took off. She set a course for the last known location of the _Executor _and made the jump to hyperspace. 

She managed to get her jacket off without further injury. She took a bacta patch from the medpac and put it on the blaster wound. She gave herself a stim-shot to prevent shock and crossed her fingers. She checked the hyperspace timer.

"Five hours, just five more hours," she said. "Don't fail me now, adrenaline."

The excruciating pain in her shoulder made the five hours pass slowly. She did anything and everything to stay alert. She paced the shuttle, sang songs, and talked to herself. She was nearing exhaustion when the shuttle exited into realspace. 

A message came over the comm. "Unidentified shuttle. You have entered Imperial space. Identify yourself at once."

She hit the comm button. "This is Lieutenant Commander Reed. I need medical attention." There was a pause. She assumed they were checking her voice patterns.

"Welcome back, Commander. You're cleared for Bay 42."

Abiona closed the comm channel and let the tractor beam pull her into the bay. She got up with a groan and exited the shuttle slowly. She felt exhausted and leaned on the shuttle. The medical technician's face was the last thing she saw before everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Right, I don't own it, GL does. Don't sue, etc.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Abiona opened her eyes slowly, her head pounding from the after-effects of the stimshot. She stretched, testing out her shoulder. It felt a bit sore, but other than that it was as good as new. A medical technician came in and looked at her shoulder. He cleared her for duty and left.  
  
"Well, doesn't look like I'll ever get a day off," she thought.  
  
Abiona got up and changed into her uniform. She ran a hand through her hair and put on her hat. With a bit of trepidation, she went to the Admiral's office for her debriefing.  
  
She saluted. "Reporting as ordered, sir!" She hoped that the shame she felt didn't show on her face. Piett nodded to the chair and she sat down. His silent reception did nothing but feed Abiona's growing fear.  
  
"What went wrong?"  
  
Abiona stared at his desk. "I just...I was really taken in by the beauty of the ship. I was looking in the log files to see if it was space worthy, and I got jumped. Some guy named Antilles." Looking up, she saw no reproach in his gaze. Fear crept across her face. "Will I lose my commission because of this, sir?"  
  
"You're too good of an officer to dismiss. The mission was off the record. Only two people outside of this office know about it, and they would never think of revealing it."  
  
Abiona relaxed a bit. "Thank you, sir." For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw a smile cross his face.  
  
"Dismissed."  
  
Abiona saluted and left his office, feeling as though something more than a debriefing had happened. She decided to the let the feeling pass and marched to the hangar to report for patrols.  
  
*****  
  
After a month of heavy fighting, a time of relative peace settled on the fleet. With the Rebellion chased out of Hoth, the fleet moved back into the Core. Everyone was looking forward to some well-deserved shore leave.  
  
Abiona held a 48-hour pass in her hand. "Two whole days of leave," she thought. She tossed some civvies and a few weapons into her bag and set out. "I get to stay in a hotel, and I don't have to wear a uniform for two days," she thought. She boarded a shuttle with many other happy looking officers. The shuttle took them to the surface of Corellia. Abi walked to her hotel and checked in. The clerk slid her key across the counter with an envelope. She arched an eyebrow as she picked up the key and envelope.  
  
She shouldered her bag and went to her room. She unlocked the door and looked around. "This place is bigger than my quarters. That's just depressing," she thought. She took off her tunic and sat down on the bed. Abiona gave in to her curiosity and opened the envelope. Inside, she found a ticket and a note.  
  
"You mentioned how much you wanted to see this play," the note read. "I'll pick you up at 7:30. Andries."  
  
She looked at the ticket. "Front Line Rules", 8:00 p.m., Dress Circle, Seat A14. "Good seats," she thought. "Of course, this date doesn't have to be a secret like the others." She looked at the clothes in her bag. "Looks like I'll need to find something appropriate to wear." She looked at her chrono. "And I've only got four hours." She stood and changed into her civvies. She put her ID, money, and key in her pocket and left the room. After getting directions from the hotel clerk, she walked to the shopping district.  
  
The shopping district crowd was sparse. Abiona perused dresses at shop after shop. After trying on more dresses than she could count, she found the perfect dress. It was a simple black sheath dress that came just above the knee. She bought the dress before she could change her mind, and found a pair of high-heeled black boots to wear with it. Two shops later she found a purse that she liked. She checked her chrono. "Two hours. I still need to eat and get makeup or a makeover or something." Abi grabbed a quick lunch at a cafe then went to a salon to get her hair and makeup done. She hurried back to the hotel and changed. She looked in the mirror and was amazed. She had forgotten what she looked like in civilian clothes. "But I still can't get away from that military look," she thought with a smile. She unlocked the door, then realized that she had forgotten her purse. She went back over to the bedside table to get her things, but in her haste, she dropped a couple credit chips and her ticket on the floor. She knelt down to get her things, and there was a knock at the door.  
  
"It's open," Abiona yelled over her shoulder as she gathered her things. She turned to get up and Piett offered her his hand. She took it and he helped her up.  
  
"Such a beautiful woman shouldn't be kneeling on the floor."  
  
Abiona blushed. "I'll try to be less clumsy in the future." She shouldered her purse, and they walked to the theatre.  
  
*****  
  
For a two-hour play, "Front Line Rules" had certainly kept Abiona's interest. She had seen an exquisite albeit dark play, and with Piett's arm around her, there was little more she could wish for.  
  
"That was phenomenal," Abiona said. "The sets, the lighting, everything just came together so well."  
  
"It had a rather dark message, though. I'm rather surprised that it's doing so well."  
  
Abiona shrugged. "Yeah, I didn't expect him to commit suicide, but it does have a powerful social commentary. I think it was based on a true story. At any rate, I'm rather surprised that the Politburo let it through."  
  
"The manager must have the right connections."  
  
"More like the right size pocket book," she said with a slight sneer. "It's the first piece I've seen that's critical of the Army." She paused, trying to find a more pleasant topic. "So, what are you going to do on the rest of your leave?"  
  
"Try to relax for the first time in a few years. You?"  
  
"The same. I have wonderful plans for sleeping late," she said unlocking her hotel room.  
  
She leaned in the doorway of her room. "I had a really great time tonight. I'd forgotten what it was like to be a civilian."  
  
"You needed the shore leave. I thought you were going to have a nervous breakdown," he said jokingly.  
  
"Well, there has to be more to life than work," she said with a mischievous look.  
  
Piett arched an eyebrow at her. She pulled him into a kiss, letting the door close behind them.  
  
*****  
  
Strapped into her TIE Avenger, Abiona pulled the craft out of its spin and leveled her sights at the X-Wing that had been on her six. She shunted laser power into her shields, but they were barely at ten percent. The fighter shook as a laser blast hit it. Abiona pulled on the yoke, but the fighter was unresponsive. She checked the computer. The display told her it would be another thirty seconds before flight control was restored. She hit the control panel in frustration. The missile lock warning wailed in her ear. She stared helplessly at the missile screaming for her fighter.  
  
With a small gasp, she jerked awake. As her heart slowed to normal, she looked around. "Good, still in the Admiral's suite on the Executor," she thought. She snuggled up to Piett. "I'm almost surprised that we haven't been caught after three months," she thought sleepily.  
  
"Are you all right?" Piett whispered.  
  
"Just a nightmare, nothing to worry about," she whispered. He pulled her closer and she drifted back to sleep.  
  
*****  
  
Avenger Squadron stood in the docking bay. Abiona felt like a cadet during her first inspection. Glancing down the line of pilots, she counted nine.  
  
She nudged Wade, trying to be inconspicuous. "We seem to be missing the CO and XO," she whispered.  
  
"Didn't you hear? They got transferred," Wade whispered back.  
  
"Transferred? To where?"  
  
Before Wade could reply, she heard the calls of 'Admiral on deck', and everyone snapped to attention.  
  
"As most of you have heard, Avenger Squadron's Commander and Executive Officer have been transferred." Piett began to walk down the line of pilots and stopped in front of Abiona. "Lieutenant Commander Reed, you will be promoted to the rank of Commander and given command of Avenger Squadron."  
  
Abiona saluted. "Thank you, sir!"  
  
Piett moved to Wade. "Lieutenant Marek, you will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and will serve as Avenger Squadron's Executive Officer."  
  
Wade saluted in turn. "Thank you, sir!"  
  
Piett motioned them to follow, and the three of them moved out of the earshot of the other pilots. Abiona frowned slightly when she heard quite murmurs of dissent from the rest of the squadron. She glanced over at Wade and he shrugged. Piett did not lose his serious demeanor.  
  
"These appointments are directly from Lord Vader."  
  
Abiona glanced over her shoulder at the disgruntled looking pilots. "You might want to tell them that. Right now, they assume this promotion is some sort of..." she cleared her throat. "Favor."  
  
"Lord Vader gave me specific orders not to inform anyone other than the two of you."  
  
"And neither one of us can say anything without risking our careers," said Wade with a sigh.  
  
"Right, then. I guess I might as well try to win some of them over." She nodded at Piett. "Admiral." She marched back to the squadron and Wade followed her lead. She looked down the line of pilots. "I know none of you are happy with this decision. If you wish to transfer, I understand completely. However, I would remind you that this is the Imperial Navy's elite squadron. You're all here because you are the best pilots in the Navy. Just keep that in mind. Dismissed."  
  
As the other pilots filed out, Wade gave her an incredulous look. "And you were worried because...?"  
  
She smiled slightly. "It's only the beginning of the battle. And we've got more important things to do than speculate. Like finding two new pilots for the squadron."  
  
Wade grinned at her. "Let's go, Commander."  
  
Abiona rolled her eyes, and they went to find two new hotshot pilots.  
  
*****  
  
Two months later, the pilots of Avenger Squadron again stood at attention, this time on Coruscant, to receive recognition from the Emperor himself. Abiona could feel her heart pounding and wanted nothing more than to change out of her dress uniform.  
  
"Starch. I hate starch," Abiona thought. She let the Emperor's speech drift past her. All she and her squadronmates had to do was stand at attention for a while, and eventually the Emperor would present the medals. Everything went according to plan, and when the Emperor reached her, she bowed respectfully as the rest of her squadron had done. As he placed the medal around her neck, she felt coldness unlike anything she had ever experienced and had to suppress a shudder. They marched off and went back to their temporary planet side quarters.  
  
"Thank goodness that's over," Wade said to her on the way back.  
  
"Yeah...did you have a strange feeling...a cold chill?" Abiona asked.  
  
"No, not that I remember. It was probably just your nerves getting to you."  
  
"You're probably right. I see ya later," she said going into her quarters. She took off her uniform jacket and tossed it on the bed. The freedom from the stiffer than usual collar was wonderful. Unbuttoning the top couple of buttons on her shirt, she checked to see if she had any messages, but no one had called. Just as she took out one of her cufflinks, the door chime sounded. "Just a second," she said. Taking out her other cufflink, she pushed the door button with her elbow. She looked up to see Piett standing just outside her door.  
  
"Admiral, come right in, sir," Abiona said, moving aside. She locked the door behind him and set her cufflinks down on the bedside table.  
  
"You don't have to be formal with me, Abi," Piett said.  
  
She shrugged. "I figured I'd put on a front, just in case someone was listening. But," she said hanging up her uniform jacket, "COMPNOR probably has every centimeter of Coruscant bugged, so it doesn't really matter."  
  
Piett raised his eyebrows. "You're more cynical than usual."  
  
"Just the side effect of being in command of pilots that don't-and won't trust or respect me." She thought about mentioning the cold chill she felt during the ceremony but decided against it. Dejectedly, she sat down on the bed, put her elbows on her knees, and cupped her chin in her hands. "It's just so frustrating."  
  
He sat next to her and put his arm around her. "You knew how it would be when you joined the Navy. And you weren't forced to accept the promotion."  
  
"Not accept an appointment from Lord Vader?" she asked with a scoff. "That would bring me a surer and swifter death than any mission the Navy could throw at me." She sat up. "Besides, it's a matter of honor. I wouldn't turn down a promotion that I knew I had earned."  
  
"Honor comes with a price."  
  
"Oh, not that speech again," she said as she stood.  
  
Piett pulled her back down into a kiss that silenced any other protest her mind could create. 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Right standard stuff. I don't own it, GL does. Please don't sue, etc.  
  
Chapter 5:  
  
Abiona pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. She tried to stay calm and looked back up at the ensign's holo.  
  
"Look. It's all quite simple. I need you to put me in contact with someone who orders new fighter craft for squadrons aboard the Executor."  
  
"I'm sorry, sir. You need to speak with fighter comm-"  
  
"No!" she yelled, cutting him off mid-word. "I just spoke to them and they told me to contact the quartermaster's office." She frowned. "This is the quartermaster's office, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes, sir, it is, but I'm afraid I can't help you."  
  
"Well perhaps you could get one of your superiors to help me?"  
  
"I'm sorry, sir. They're all engaged at the moment."  
  
Abiona let out a sigh. "Fine. I'll come down later to sort things out." She shut down the comm before the ensign could annoy her further. "Bloody bureaucracy," she muttered. Her door chimed. "Come." She hoped whoever was bothering her had a good reason.  
  
Wade took a good look at Abiona as he walked into her office. "You look like you're ready to kill someone. Bad day?"  
  
"I don't think bad sufficiently describes it. I've been trying to get a squadron of new fighters, but so far, I'm just getting the usual run around."  
  
"Well, did you speak with fighter command?"  
  
"Yes, and they sent me to the quartermaster, who promptly sent me back to fighter command."  
  
"Ah. I see."  
  
"It's just frustrating! I'm not sure why no one'll give me a straight answer. I probably don't have enough rank to throw around and frighten people."  
  
"Look, I'll go down there and yell at them for you."  
  
"I appreciate it."  
  
"No problem, that's what XOs are for," Wade said with a smile.  
  
"I think I'll go take a walk. De-stress a bit."  
  
"You look like you could use it."  
  
"If only you knew."  
  
*****  
  
Abiona gazed out the viewport, searching for Coruscant. It was the closest place she could call home. She only truly missed being planet side when she was under a great deal of stress. At least on a planet she could get more than 17 kilometers from anyone or anything. The problem with the fighters had been the final blow, and she couldn't run away from it. Since Avenger Squadron's recognition on Coruscant, the squadron's performance level had dropped significantly. Abiona knew they were underestimating the enemy and making mistakes, but only a tough battle could change the pilots' attitudes. If the squadron's performance didn't improve soon, her superiors would start asking questions and her career would be on the line.  
  
She pulled herself out of her brooding and began to march back to her office. About halfway back, a black-uniformed Intelligence officer started walking beside her. Although intrigued, Abiona said nothing.  
  
"Commander Reed?" he asked in a low voice.  
  
Abiona nodded in reply.  
  
"I just wanted to inform you that many people are watching your career with great interest." He slipped something into her palm and walked away.  
  
"Well that was weird," she thought. She punched the lock code for her office and sat down at her desk. The officer had given her what appeared to be a data chip, accessible using your average datapad. Twirling it in her fingers, she contemplated the man's message. "I wonder who exactly is watching my career," she thought. She plugged the chip into the datapad, and a list appeared on the display. Arching an eyebrow, the import of the list struck her. Twelve new TIE Defenders had been ordered for her squadron. Wade certainly didn't have the power to get Defenders for the squadron. "What is going on?" she wondered.  
  
Just as she leaned back in her chair to contemplate her situation, Wade came back. She raised her eyebrows questioningly.  
  
"Any luck?"  
  
"Nah, they just kept sending me back and forth between fighter command and the quartermaster."  
  
She spun the datapad around. "Take a look at this."  
  
Wade's eyes scanned the text. He looked up at Abiona. "You got the fighters from them?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"Well, not exactly."  
  
"What do you mean not exactly?"  
  
She walked around to the front of her desk and sat on the corner. "On my way back here, this Intel officer came up to me. He said people were watching my career with great interest and handed me this chip." She waved the datapad for emphasis. "That's all I know."  
  
"Strange. Very strange."  
  
Abiona turned around and punched a few buttons on her desk. A rotating holo of the new fighter with running specs popped up. "I wonder if there are any sims loaded for this fighter."  
  
"I'm not sure, but we'd better find out soon. Those fighters should be ready in about a month."  
  
She checked her chrono. "Well, we won't be finding out right now." She tapped her chrono. "Time for our patrols. Go ahead, I'll catch up."  
  
Wade nodded and hurried off to his fighter. Abiona tapped a few buttons and the holo fighter faded. After a moment's consideration, she punched in a text message telling the Admiral that she would be in to see him after her patrol. She sent the message and jogged down to her fighter.  
  
*****  
  
Abiona ran a hand through slightly damp hair and decided it didn't matter how her hair looked. Putting on her hat, she left the locker room and headed directly for the Admiral's office. Upon arriving, she saluted and handed him the datapad.  
  
"Do you know anything about this?"  
  
"Fighter command deals with this sort of thing."  
  
"Would you know anything if I told you an Intel agent gave me that data chip in the corridor?"  
  
"No, but I could start searching."  
  
"Great. Fabulous." She started to leave.  
  
"Abi? Are you all right?"  
  
"Yeah, fine. Just a little stressed," she said and walked out the door. She headed down to the simulator area and began checking for Defender sims. After sifting through around 300 sims, Abiona found nothing and cursed under her breath. "Looks like a couple hours of program adapting before I've got anything to train my pilots with. Might as well get started," she thought. She settled in at the computer terminal and started transferring TIE Defender specs to the old sims.  
  
After an hour or so of testing, Abiona felt fatigue pulling at her. Yawning, she decided to go back to her quarters and catch a few hours of sleep. By all accounts, she was off duty now. She dragged herself back to her quarters. Tossing her hat on the desk, she sat on the bed. Taking off her uniform jacket, she vaguely wondered if she had any messages. She moved her uniform jacket to the end of the bed and lay down. "I'll just close my eyes for a minute," she thought. Within moments, she was sound asleep.  
  
Abiona unwillingly awoke at the sound of her door chime. Hoping whoever it was would go away, she closed her eyes again, only to hear another ring. "Just a second," she yelled, rubbing her eyes. Running a hand through her hair, she looked at the chrono. "Only two hours of sleep. Better than nothing," she thought. She smoothed her clothes out and answered the door.  
  
"Come on in, Wade." She motioned for him to sit down. "Have you taken a look at the sims I rigged up?" she asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.  
  
"Actually, I was going to ask you to show me the basics before we have to run any squadron wide sims." He gave her a concerned look. "If you're feeling up to it, that is."  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just haven't been sleeping well."  
  
"Look, if something's wrong, you know you can tell me."  
  
She managed a bit of a smile. "It's nothing, really, just a few bad dreams."  
  
"You never seemed the type to have nightmares."  
  
"I haven't had any since I was a cadet, until now."  
  
"Well, you should pay attention to them. They say dreams can foretell events."  
  
"I certainly hope these don't foretell anything. If I'm not the one getting killed, someone I care about is getting killed. Makes me hate going to sleep."  
  
"C'mon. Let's go run a sim. That should keep you awake."  
  
*****  
  
After two sim runs, Abiona decided she should report in to the Admiral. He had seemed concerned earlier, and she thought that she should go and allay his fears. After a long hike from the sim area to his office, she hit the chime button.  
  
"Come," was the reply to the chime.  
  
Abiona saluted as the door closed behind her. Piett looked up, slightly surprised and motioned to chair. "I just got finished running a Defender sim." She sat down. "Any word on who my mysterious benefactor is?"  
  
Piett shook his head. "I've found files that might have the information, but the security clearance is even higher than mine. That can mean either Lord Vader or Intel is behind it."  
  
"That'll make me rest easy," she said, stifling a yawn.  
  
"Are you feeling all right?"  
  
"Yeah, just tired."  
  
He got up and sat in the chair next to her. Abiona noticed that he was looking at her eyes, and she knew that she couldn't hide the fact that they were bloodshot.  
  
"When was the last time you had a full night's sleep?"  
  
"It's been at least two weeks."  
  
"You've got to get some sleep."  
  
"No, I'll be fine. Besides, I've got to work on getting more sims for the Defenders."  
  
Piett took her arm and led her toward his quarters. "No, you're going to go to bed. You can't keep working on little or no sleep."  
  
"But-"  
  
He kissed her. "No arguments. Get some sleep."  
  
"Yes, sir," she said with a bit of a smirk. After he left, she took off her uniform and folded it neatly on the desk chair. Climbing into the comfortable bed, she closed her eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep for the first time in weeks.  
  
Abiona awoke, disoriented. She realized where she was, and the fear subsided. She glanced at the chrono and did a double-take. "I slept eight hours!" she thought. "But technically it was an order from the Admiral." She checked the chrono again. "At least I'm off duty right now." She dragged herself to the 'fresher and looked in the mirror. While sleep had erased the bloodshot look in her eyes, dark circles still remained under her eyes. She turned on the tap and splashed some water on her face. Drying her face off, she realized that there was a briefing in fifteen minutes for Avenger and Tau squadrons. Abiona hurried back into the room and got dressed. She scribbled a note to Piett telling him about the briefing and hurried down to the briefing room.  
  
She arrived with barely a minute to spare and sat down next to Wade. Glancing around, she noticed one of her pilots was missing. "Great," she thought. "He'll probably be late and embarrass us all."  
  
"I see Gareth is late," she whispered to Wade.  
  
"As usual."  
  
Abiona shook her head and sighed, and the briefing began. She noticed Gareth, her missing pilot slip in.  
  
"Tau Squadron, you will be performing a heavy assault on the Rebel shipyard. Your gunboats will be armed with torpedoes. Destroy the gun emplacement perimeter first, and then attack the factory. Avenger Squadron will escort you and destroy any fighter resistance that you may encounter. Avenger Squadron, expect to see Z-95s and possibly X-Wings or A-Wings." Their Wing Commander looked around. "Any questions?" Silence followed. "Then get to your fighters."  
  
As the pilots filed out of the briefing room, Abiona caught Gareth.  
  
"If you're late one more time, you'll find yourself in the Outer Rim flying patrols for the rest of your career. Get me?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Abiona hoped that would straighten Gareth out and caught up with Wade. They walked in silence to their fighters. She couldn't help but feel that something terrible was going to happen on this mission. The nightmares had stopped, and that worried her more than anything else. Premonitions tended to stop when the event was about to happen. She shook herself out of it and strapped herself into her fighter and waited for launch.  
  
*****  
  
The gunboats picked off the gun emplacements with ease. Avenger Squadron had vaped the light starfighter defenses of the factory.  
  
"Stay sharp. I suspect the Rebels have something hidden," Abiona said over the comm. She frowned at her sensor readings. The energy reading from the factory seemed like an anomaly. "Anybody else getting really weird readings from that FAC?"  
  
"Three here. I'm getting some sort of energy spike."  
  
"Four. Same here, Lead."  
  
A sudden realization struck Abiona. "Shit," she whispered. "Everybody get the hell away from that FAC! It's gonna self-destruct!" she yelled into the comm. Her fighter rocketed away from the factory as she transferred laser power to the engines. Her HUD displayed the explosion, but she had cleared the blast area in time. A scream cut across the comm, confirming that not everyone had been as lucky as she. She glanced at her HUD and confirmed her fears. Gareth hadn't made it out of the blast radius.  
  
Wade made her snap out of her stunned trance. "Commander?"  
  
She shook herself. "Let's go home."  
  
Pulling herself out of her fighter, Abiona felt the melancholy of the squadron immediately. No one spoke in the docking bay, and Abiona walked to her office. Wade walked beside her, saying nothing.  
  
"Do you want me to-" he started to say outside her office door.  
  
"No. I'll notify his family. If you could fill out the paperwork."  
  
"No problem." He gave her shoulder a squeeze and went to his office.  
  
Abiona went into her office and sat down behind her desk. She felt as though someone had punched her in the stomach, but she knew that it was her duty to notify the family. Biting the inside of her cheek, she pulled up Gareth's file to find family contact information. Scanning down his file, she finally found information on his parents and began to read. Apparently, his father had started out as a comm officer but transferred planet side, to raise a family Abiona assumed, where he eventually became the head of the planet's fighter defenses.  
  
Trying to stay calm and composed, she waited for the HoloNet transmission to go through. After a moment, a stern looking captain appeared, and Abiona saluted.  
  
"Captain Siran?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'm Commander Abiona Reed, Avenger Squadron." Abiona took a deep breath and let it out. "Sir, I regret to inform you that your son, Ensign Gareth Siran was killed in the line of duty."  
  
Disbelief, anger, and sadness flashed across Captain Siran's face before it reformed into a stern mask. "How did it happen?"  
  
"Avenger Squadron was flying superiority on a mission to destroy a Rebel factory. The factory had been set as a trap and self-destructed. Your son didn't make it out of the blast radius in time. I'm sorry."  
  
"I understand. Thank you for notifying me personally."  
  
"I felt it was my duty." She saluted and cut the connection. Somehow the silent way that Captain Siran accepted his son's death was worse than hysterics. She could have tried to calm a hysterical father, but now she felt as if she could do nothing. The pain of losing a squadron member hit her and released the pain of so many other deaths. She put her head into her hands and felt the tears begin to run down her cheeks.  
  
A/N: If anyone is interested in beta reading for me, please e-mail me. I appreciate feedback as well! 


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